Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump have been crisscrossing the country down the stretch, holding packed rallies in competitive states and stoking enthusiasm among their respective bases in a race polls show is up for grabs.
I'm James Oliphant, and I've been traveling with Trump for much of the past two weeks as he swung to the Western states and back. Most of his rallies continue to run as long as two hours, which may be a testament to his stamina if not his efficiency.
He has exhibited a characteristic inability to stay on message. Though Trump often criticizes the Biden administration's handling of the economy, which polls show is the issue of greatest voter concern, he also takes frequent rhetorical flights of fancy. (Rocket ships! Whales! Paper clips!) He traffics in dark imagery and plays his favorite songs. He brings guests on stage. (On Saturday, it was the Penn State University wrestling team.) He seems to want to milk every moment of what he says is his final White House run. The rallies can feel like part-presidential campaign, part-pop star farewell tour.
Where Trump continues to fire up his most loyal supporters, Harris is attempting to stitch together a rather unwieldy coalition, one that stretches from young progressives on the left to moderate Republicans who dislike Trump. She has oscillated between ridiculing Trump as a boor and warning that he's an existential threat to democracy and, as she put it, "a petty tyrant." At this late date, she's still playing catch-up and trying to introduce herself to voters.
Harris has rolled out celebrity endorsers such as Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen in the final stretch, while Trump has the world's richest person, Elon Musk, stumping in Pennsylvania and drawing the ire of local law enforcement as he hands out cash.
Not everything has gone according to plan.
Trump's signature event at New York's Madison Square Garden was marred by a warm-up act who told racist jokes about Latinos at the very time when Trump needs their votes. Harris' dramatic address on the Ellipse in Washington was undercut by President Joe Biden calling one or some Trump supporters "garbage" on a Zoom call. (Biden denied he meant "all" supporters but not before his comment streaked across social media.)
Reuters correspondents have fanned out across the battleground states ahead of Tuesday, exploring the sentiments among voters who have their minds made up and those who are still on the fence.
Our reporting team will be watching for attempts to disrupt the vote counts in precincts and counties in the days ahead. We're not likely to know who the winner is on Nov. 5 or even the day after. In 2020, it took four days. Voting-rights advocates hope the vote count goes more quickly this time around, but no one really knows what next week will bring.
Get some rest. Hydrate. Feed the cat. Take a walk. Buckle up. Here we go.
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